Ye Olde Worlde Cuppe

Following the good dump on Wednesday, we have had more snow, cloud and wind. The best I found was 20cm deep powder off the Rim Run above the Basin on Thursday morning. You couldn't see much but the snow was great. There was a small slide on the steepest section of the Rim Run as on the Bluff - due to Wednesday's fresh fall with wind loading.

Friday brought some well-earned sunshine and whilst skiing with Martin, Kimberley and Ian, Ian mentioned that he heard Exhibition (off Sponars T-bar) had been groomed for the first time of the season. We shot over there to find ski patrol tracks and nothing else but untouched corduroy. Two runs there and we had had the best of it. The sunshine after a week of cloud brought everyone out on the mountain and the queues grew enormously.

Yesterday the wind was up and the slopes took a beating. There was sheet marble in many places and narrow wind-blown fingers in others whilst the lower slopes turned to sugary mush.

Shouldn't have been surprised, as it was the Masters Race day - held on World Cup (Olde Worlde Cuppe for a day :-)

Kosi Express went on wind hold late yesterday morning and remained that way for several hours. Ramshead continued to run. Possibly the biggest surprise was Rossi Race Course which, was smooth, not marble and not so slushy, when Annie (having survived the very Evil Way) and I skied down Supertrail yesterday afternoon.

Went to bed last night to the sound of wind and rain. Awoke to the same and it pretty well continued all day. It has been snowing up high according to reports. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for the cold front to kick in and deliver more snow. I didn't ski today.

Kimberley, Martin and Ian on Exhibition on Friday morning
(don’t know who is in the foreground)

FIS races on World Cup
also used on Saturday for the Masters Race

Still freshies on Friday, where I had been on Thursday in the poor vis

More freshies above the Basin

Crackenback on Friday afternoon

Bumpy Sundance and High Noon

Central Spur and Sponars

Golf Course Bowl

We should do all right out of this system. Freshies tomorrow - after all, today is August 15th.

So, the masters' race training has finished, the FIS races have gone. Hopefully we will get both World Cup and Hump Run back for the regular punters.

The temperature is dropping along with the barometer. Bring on the snow!

Julie has some fascinating memories of the late start in 1992 (mentioned in my last report). Julie was experiencing her first season as a ski instructor in Thredbo and shares her memories:
The real dump of 1992 started much later than most people think: Wed 9th-Thurs 10th September... Although the 1992 snow depth chart makes August look respectable, things really started to change at the end of the first week in September...I had to move back to Perth to start my "real job" at the end of September, but still it kept snowing in Thredbo. On 30th October a friend phoned to say they were still teaching new skiers and were exhausted...
Julie also sent me newspaper clippings about the snowfalls in October and November 1992 in Western Australia. Amazing stuff.